Dear Parents / Guardians,
We hope all is well with you this fortnight. Our news is as follows:
- Our Covid Plan: I want to thank you all most sincerely for your flexibility, cooperation and support in what has been a challenging term. Between new guidelines and directives, it has been difficult to keep up with the ever-evolving Covid situation and I cannot thank you, all of our families, enough for your willingness to adhere to all of the measures we have been asked to implement and for your kind words and support over the last three months. We continue to rely on our wonderful parent body to keep us informed, and I ask that you continue to let me know immediately (in confidence) once you become aware of a positive case in your household. As you will be aware, the new guidelines allow for antigen testing of the children in the pod of the child who is Covid positive. To assist you, I have attached an up-to-date Quick Isolation Guide from the HSE, together with a list of the symptoms of Covid, which I ask you to keep somewhere safe and consult with when required. Please note number 2 of the Isolation guide – If one of your children is displaying symptoms, the other children in the family must restrict movements and should not come to school until a negative Covid test result is received for the symptomatic child.
- Face-coverings: As detailed in the correspondence from the Department of Education and Skills that I sent you all on Tuesday night (this was the time the documents were emailed to the school), children from Third to Sixth Class are now required to wear face-masks at school. I want to thank you all most sincerely for your compliance (I am so grateful and proud to report 100% compliance in our school) in adhering to this new public health measure (at such short notice) and hope that it will succeed in helping to keep our school community safe and allow us to keep our school open. We realise that wearing masks is a big ask for children. Please be assured that we will support them in every possible way as they become accustomed to wearing the masks at school and we will ensure that they get sufficient breaks outside without their masks during the day. We are asking that all children place a small ziplock bag into their coat pocket. As they go out onto the yard, they will handsanitise before popping their facemask into their coat pocket. Going back into the school, they will handsanitise again and take their mask back out of the ziplock bag and put it on as they go back to their classrooms. No masks will be worn outside or while doing PE.
- Best wishes: I want to extend the best wishes of our entire school community to our SNA, Laura Cummins. Laura’s final day at Bunscoil Bhríde is tomorrow. I want to thank her for all of her wonderful work in the school, for the kindness, warmth and compassion she has shown to all of the children in her care and for the friendship and generosity she has shown all the staff members. She will be greatly missed.
- Local History Trips: Our local history walk through the town, culminating in a visit to the old graveyard and the rath with historian, Sarah Myers has been rescheduled to take place tomorrow with Ms. Millane’s Fifth Class, Ms. Coughlan’s Third and Fourth Class and Ms. Fitzpatrick’s Fourth Class. I am asking that the three classes bring old shoes / wellies and a spare pair of socks to school tomorrow, as the grass in the rath is quite long and will be wet. Photos of the history tours will be available to view at www.bunscoilbhride.ie
- Green Schools Christmas Competition: This year we are working on the Global Citizenship Travel theme for our tenth Green Flag. The whole school has been making such a wonderful effort to walk, cycle or scoot to school every day to limit the amount of traffic and pollution in our town. Ms. Ryan and her Green Schools Committee are running our annual poster and story competition this year. Every student will have the opportunity to create a poster or story based on our theme. The winners will be published on our school website. Best of luck to all of the girls taking part.
- Student Council Competition: Our Student Council are running an initiative for all classes this term; a poster competition for which all children are designing a poster to promote clean hands. Winners will be announced at our whole school assembly later in the month.
- Reminder: No medicinesare allowed at school. If your child has a medical condition for which medicine/inhaler etc. must be administered, please contact the school, as Board of Management approval must be granted for this. Please see our administration of medication policy at www.bunscoilbhride.ie for more information.
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is on Wednesday next, 8th December. All classes from Second Class to Sixth Class will tune in to Mass from Rathangan Church in their classrooms at 10am.
- Carol Service: This year our annual Carol Service will look a little different. We plan on involving all pupils from the school. Each class will be recorded performing their Christmas Carol in front of the church and the recording will be made available on our school website. We will also make the recording available for Fr. Bill to share on the parish page, as our annual Carol Service is very much a tradition of the whole parish at this stage. I will send a permission request on Aladdin for recording of the performance, and ask that you complete it.
- Christmas Non-Uniform Day: It is usually around this time of the year that our 6th class girls are busy preparing for our Annual Christmas Bake Sale and Fare to raise money for Sr. Celine Conway’s Brazilian Fund. This year again, we have had to amend our plans due to Covid, but we are determined to continue the tradition and raise money for Sr. Celine. On Friday 17th December, our Sixth Class girls will host a Christmas-themed non-uniform day in the school, asking all pupils to make a donation of €1 / €2. They will organise a raffle on the day for the whole-school. All proceeds will be donated to Sr. Celine, who is helping less fortunate people of Brazil. Sr. Celine grew up in Rathangan and is a past pupil of our school. We are tremendously proud of the wonderful work she does in Brazil and endeavour to help her every Christmas by raising much-needed funds for her extremely worthy cause.
- Christmas Cards: Children are not permitted to bring Christmas cards to school this year. Exchange of Christmas cards cannot be facilitated due to the associated increased risk of the spread of infection.
- Christmas Presents: Again this year, we ask you not to purchase Christmas gifts for teachers. What the teachers really value is the words of thanks and appreciation uttered by pupils and parents. This is worth far more to us than any gift that can be purchased.
- Special Visitor: I have heard a rumour that our Parents’ Association have been in contact with a very special person from the North Pole, who may visit the school over the coming weeks. We look forward to warmly welcoming our special guest!
- Christmas Holidays: The school will close at 12pm on Wednesday 22nd December. We would like to wish you all a very peaceful, happy and holy Christmas and every blessing for the year ahead. Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain faoi mahise daoibh go léir!
Kind regards,
Maria Rogerson